Deviant Behavior - Abstracts
Books On Deviant Behavior, Deviant Behavior, Bibliography, Syllabus, Journals
Adolescent Social Bond, Self-Control and Deviant Behavior in China - Gabe T. Wang,
Hengrui Qiao, Shaowai Hong, and Jie Zhang - Yunnan Social Science Academy, Kunming, China
Abstract: Based on Hirschi´s social control theory and the theory of self-control
developed by Gottfredson and Hirschi, this research developed a structural equation model
and tested it on 527 adolescents in Southern China. The objective was to determine how
adolescent social bond and self-control affect substance use and deviant behavior.
Findings indicate that adolescent family attachment, parental supervision, and belief are
directly and negatively related to their substance use. Adolescent educational commitment
is negatively and strongly related to their deviant behaviors. However, adolescent
impulsivity is not related to either substance use or deviant behavior, and their
persistency is positively instead of negatively related to their substance use. The
findings of this research seem to support Hirschi's social control theory. Gottfredson and
Hirschi's newer theory of self-control fails to predict for the Chinese adolescents.
Discipline and Deviant Behavior in Our Youth - Ron Bell
Are American youth under disciplined, over coddled? The question has been asked and
studied by experts frequently in the last few years. The number of young people involved
in deviant or criminal behavior has not only tripled, but the age of those involved has
gotten lower. People have been worried by such matters as the rise in juvenile
delinquency, and often criticize schools as being too soft. Trouble in the American family
has also led to trouble with today's youth. Never before have the advantages been so
great, yet the great majority of young people today are filled with hopelessness and
despair. Juvenile crime is increasing in the nation. This research is a critical look at
how parents are disciplining juveniles in the home, and at what is causing the increase in
violence in juveniles.
Routine Activities in Social Context: A Closer Look at the role of Opportunities
in Deviant Behavior - Jon Gunnar Bernburg, University at Albany
ABSTRACT: This paper argues that present versions of the routine activities approach to
deviant behavior fail to account for the microsocial context of situational motivation and
opportunity. This failure, in turn, leads researchers to misspecify the effects of the
patterning of routine actitivites on deviant behavior. Using concepts from two distinct
theoretical frameworks, social control and differential association theories, I argue that
routine activities cannot simply be understood as neutral patternings of structural
changes. To the contrary, social activities are guided by aims and practices of social
actors. From this perspective, routine activities are less understood as causing behavior,
they become part of what is to be explained. Using cross-sectional survey data from a
nationally representative sample of 3860 Icelandic adolescents, my findings lend
considerable support for these theoretical claims. As hypothesized, the effects of routine
actitivites (unstructured socializing with peers) on types of deviant behavior are
considerably reduced when differential social relations are controlled-that is, bonding
with conventional agents (parents and school) and associations with deviant peers.
Secondly, net of the main effects of differential social relations, routine actitivties
(unstructured socializing with peers), and favorable definitions (neutralizations) on
deviant behaviors, statistical interactions are reported between differential social
relations and routine actitivties as well as between favorable definitions and routine
actitivties.
A Deductive Theory of Deviance
Chris Bader, Department of Sociology, Univ. of Washington
In 1987, Stark and Bainbridge presented a deductive theory in the sociology of religion.
They begin with a series of specifically stated assumptions based upon social exchange
theory. From those assumptions Stark and Bainbridge generate formal propositions that
explain how the exchange of rewards, the avoidance of costs, and differentials in power
lead to patterns of interaction and, ultimately, larger social structures.
The current research uses the general assumptions and propositions from the
Stark-Bainbridge theory as the basis for an integrated, deductive theory of deviant
behavior. Using those assumptions, I derive propositions to explain the emergence of
society, culture, norms, and stratification. By placing individuals within these contexts,
I am able to derive their stake in conformity and predict the circumstances under which
individuals will engage in deviant behavior. The resulting integrated theory utilizes
concepts from conflict, labeling, differential association, social control, routine
activities, and anomie theory. All of these concepts are derived from the same set of
general assumptions. - soc.washington.edu/people/jobcand/baderabstract.html
Cigarette smoking is becoming a deviant behavior, especially when one engages in
this behavior in the presence of others. No longer is it a behavior that only concerns the
smoker and his/her health. It is now acknowledged as harmful to nonsmokers through the
dangers of secondary smoke. Since smokers and nonsmokers are starting to recognize this
potential danger of cigarette smoking, exposure to this harm for nonsmokers can be
regulated. This recognition of smoking as a problem for nonsmokers changes the behavior
from simply self-regarding behavior, where the smoker is only making decisions about the
potential dangers of smoking for him/herself to other-regarding behavior, where the smoker
must acknowledge the behaviors impact on and potential danger to others. Through the
use of opinion polls, this paper attempts to show how smoking is being redefined and is
now seen as other-regarding behavior by both smokers and nonsmokers. -
http://www.ou.edu/special/freeinq/v26n2a3.htm
ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN DRUG USE and DEVIANT BEHAVIOUR in TEENAGERS
AUTHORS: Ron D Hays & Phyllis L Ellickson
Drug use and delinquency share many common antecedents: early antisocial behavior,
difficulties in school, impaired family relationships, delinquent or drug-using peers, and
rebelliousness. But these common factors could underlie a cluster of problem behaviors or
lead to distinctly different behavioral manifestations. Using data from 1,363 West Coast
students in grade 10, this study examines the relationship between drug use and deviant
behaviour. Analyses of student responses to self-administered surveys revealed three
correlated higher-order dimensions of behavior: (1) alcohol use and sociability; (2)
deviant behavior, including drug use other than alcohol; and (3) rebelliousness. A close
relationship among tobacco and cannabis use and deviant behavior was revealed. Results
suggest that drug prevention programs that curb initial and regular use of the gateway
drugs, such as alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis, may have a broader, spillover impact on
other deviant behavior. Results also suggest that programs aimed at both deviance and drug
use are worth pursuing and that schools are an important venue for identifying deviant
youth. The strong links between alcohol use and sociability underline the need to
counteract the social acceptability of drinking and focus on the social contexts in which
it occurs. Contains 38 references. (RJM) - http://www.edinburghtartanarmy.com
Adolescent Deviant Behavior: Who Is Influencing Our Youth?
Leila Saliba - Elon University
Abstract - This article will discuss adolescent deviant behavior, and how the environment
that the child lives in shapes the choices they make. The data was taken by distributing a
survey at a small liberal arts university in the southeastern United States. The research
looks at basic chi squared data. The findings suggest that there is not a large
correlation between how much peer pressure a person felt and the deviant behaviors they
took part in.
What draws people, especially young people into criminal activities? What types of social
pressures cause them to join such activities? The current research examines what social
pressures affect adolescents the most and in what environments are these teens involved.
This paper will ask whether peer pressure has an influence over young peoples
decisions in taking part in deviant behavior. In the past fifty years there has been a
considerable amount of research done on what drives someone to participate in criminal
behavior. - http://www.elon.edu/ajones5/Leila's%20paper.htm
An Economic Theory of Deviance - Jeong-Yoo Kim, Gang Lee
Abstract: We develop a model of deviance by incorporating the labeling effect into
rational choice theory. In our model, we provide an explanation of the process through
which a deviant is being stigmatized and explore theoretically the relationship between
the experience of having deviated and the incentive of deviation. Surprisingly, our study
finds that an ex-deviant is not necessarily more likely to deviate, contrary to widely
held belief. This is because the ex-deviant may hesitate more to violate the norm one more
time for fear of being labeled as a pathological deviant. Also, we define the concept of
complete stigma and demonstrate that a rational individual is not completely
stigmatized in equilibrium with positive probability.
Early Deviance and Related Risk Factors in the Children of Narcotic Addicts
David N. Nurco, D.S.W., Robert Blatchley, Thomas E. Hanlon, Kevin E. OGrady
Abstract: Expanding upon previous analyses of the impact of addict parenting impact on
childhood deviance, this study examines the self-reported behaviors of 285 male and female
adolescent children (age 12-17) of narcotic addicts participating in methadone maintenance
programs. The children responded to an extensive two and one-half hour interview
questionnaire focusing on current and past activities including the variety, and severity
of criminal activity prior to age 12. Findings of the study revealed that early deviance
in the children of addicts, while not significantly related to most parenting variables,
was related to later adolescent drug and alcohol use, association with deviant peers, a
negative view of home atmosphere, and psychological symptomtology. These results are
contrasted with the retrospective self-reports of adolescent behavior obtained from male
narcotic addicts who had participated in our vulnerability study. The marked comparability
of study results is discussed in the context of developmental risk factors, prevention and
treatment strategies, and other considerations specifically related to the development of
children of narcotic addicts. - friendssocialresearch.org/2003_%20src_abstracts.htm
Adolescent Children of Narcotic Addicts: Deviant Behaviors and Their Correlates
David N. Nurco, D.S.W.
Abstract: This study examines the self reported behaviors of 285 male and female
adolescent children of narcotic addicts participating in methadone maintenance programs.
These children had responded to an extensive two and one-half hour interview questionnaire
focusing on their current circumstances and behaviors including their current and past
involvement with drugs, alcohol, and illegal behaviors. The data analyses related these
criteria behaviors to family structure, parenting, home atmosphere, peer deviance, adult
role models, and psychological status. The findings indicated that the deviant behaviors
of the adolescent children of addicts are strongly related to their perception of the home
atmosphere, their association with deviant peers, and to numerous psychological factors
including hostility, depression, semantic concerns, and decreased energy and interest.
These results are discussed in terms of developmental risk factors, prevention and
treatment interventions, and other considerations related to adolescent children of
narcotic addicts. - friendssocialresearch.org/2003_%20src_abstracts.htm
Subcultures and Deviant Behavior in the Organizational Context
PUB YEAR: 1998 - JOURNAL: Research in the Sociology of Organizations, 1998, 15, 3-34.
ABSTRACT: Utilizes an integrated theory of white-collar deviance to explore the role
subcultures play in the etiology of deviant behavior by individuals & groups in
organizations & organizations themselves. The theory is based on the notion that both
motivation & opportunity must come together to produce deviant behavior. In the
organizational context, subcultures influence both motivation & opportunity by
fostering & diffusing the symbolic structures & rationalizations central to the
motivational process & by helping to shape the distribution of opportunities available
to individuals & groups. This subcultural influence does not always work to encourage
deviant behavior, & it is argued that the likelihood that any particular subculture
will, in fact, promote deviance is determined by two general factors - its degree of
deviant orientation & the strength of the influence it exerts over its members.
What are deviant behavior and social control? In chapter 1 of Deviant Behavior
Erich Goode begins by debunking what he considers false conceptions of deviance. His
"Five Misleading Definitions of Deviance" correspond to the misconceptions of
many laypersons and several scholars as well.
extend.indiana.edu/courses/soc/socs320b/lesson1/disc1a.htm
The Scientist - Is There Room in Science for Self-Promotion? ... such as
eponymizing oneself; the under-acknowledgment of collaborators; ad hominem attacks; and
publicity seeking ("Deviant Behavior and Social Control in ...
the-scientist.com/yr1987/dec/opin4_871214.html
The Nature and Extent of Deviance
How Do Deviant Groups Come into Being?
northern.wvnet.edu/~gnorton/soc125/soclec8.htm
Goode: A Brief Definition of Deviance. What are deviant behavior and social control? In
chapter 1 of Deviant Behavior Erich Goode begins by debunking what he considers false
conceptions of deviance. His "Five Misleading Definitions of Deviance"
correspond to the misconceptions of many laypersons and several scholars as well.
extend.indiana.edu/courses/soc/socs320b/lesson1/disc1a.htm
Deviant Identity as a Moderator of the Relation between Negative Self-Feelings and
Deviant Behavior
Howard B. Kaplan, Texas A&M University
Cheng-Hsien Lin, Texas A&M University
The Journal of Early Adolescence, Vol. 20, No. 2, 150-177 (2000)
Informed by a general theory of deviant behavior, it was hypothesized that the positive
effect of negative self-feelings on later deviant behavior would be observed only for
youth who are not characterized by a deviant identity. Data from a panel of youths tested
during early adolescence and retested 3 years later (N = 1,041) were used to estimate
structural equations models. As hypothesized, for youths without a deviant identity,
negative self-feelings had both direct and indirect (via contemporary deviant behavior)
positive effects on later deviant behavior. For youths characterized by deviant
identities, however, no overall effect of negative self-feelings on deviant behavior was
observed due to the operation of countervailing effects. Countering the indirect positive
effects of negative self-feelings (presumably reflecting alienation from the conventional
order) were inverse direct effects of negative self-feelings on later deviant behavior
(presumably reflecting alienation from the deviant identity stemming from its association
with concomitant negative self-feelings). - jea.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/20/2/150
Self-Perceptions of Friendship-Making Ability and Perceptions of Friends Deviant
Behavior: Childhood to Adolescence
Carolyn McNamara Barry, University of Maryland
Allan Wigfield, University of Maryland
The Journal of Early Adolescence, Vol. 22, No. 2, 143-172 (2002)
Stability and change from middle childhood to middle adolescence in
participantsperceptions of their friendship-making ability and their friends
deviant behavior were examined. Third-grade, fourth-grade, and sixth-grade children
completed questionnaires that assessed those constructs and did so again 5 years later.
Participants perceived their friendship-making ability as greater during childhood than
during adolescence. Adolescents perceived their friends as more deviant than did children.
Each of the two perceptions was not highly stable over 5 years. Aspects of childrens
perceived social competence were examined as predictors of adolescents perceived
friendship-making ability and the deviant behavior of their friends. Childrens
perceived friendship-making ability and value, and frequency of friend interaction
significantly predicted adolescents perceived friendship-making ability, whereas
childrens perceived deviant behavior of friends, friendship-making ability (a
negative predictor), and popularity with boys and with girls significantly predicted
adolescents perceived deviant behavior of their friends. -
jea.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/22/2/143
The Implications of Respondent Loss in Panel Studies of Deviant Behavior
Sheila Cordray, Department of Sociology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon
Kenneth Polk, Department of Sociology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon
Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, Vol. 20, No. 2, 214-242 (1983)
While the panel design offers many advantages to social scientists, especially those
studying deviant behavior, a major source of potential bias and error of this design is
the loss of respondents over time. The present investigation draws upon a secondary
analysis of data from seven panel studies which followed adolescent populations through
time to examine the impact of such attrition on univariate, bivariate, and multivariate
estimates obtained from individuals who remain in panels. Those who remain over time in
panels are found to provide relatively accurate estimates of bivariate and multivariate
relationships. Univariate estimates such as incidence or prevalence measures of deviance
are found to be slightly but systematically biased, this tendency being more clear when
the panel is constructed from a broadly representative population base. -
jrc.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/20/2/214
The Conception of Criminality Illustrated by a Stochastic Process Model for Deviant
Behavior
Eggert Petersen, University of Copenhagen, Health Research Institute, Copenhagen
Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, Vol. 9, No. 1, 31-45 (1972)
It is common knowledge that individuals vary regarding criminal tendency. That the
surroundings vary correspondingly - as will become clear from the investigation described
below - is less evident. The everyday view of criminality which is also widespread among
scientists and theorists is namely "one-dimensional"- absolute and static. The
concept of "criminal" (denoting criminal persons) is a pure Aristotelian
classification, i.e., a collective name, deriving from one criterion of the fact that
different individuals in widely different situations have shown widely different behavior.
From a psychological point of view the concept is without any actual contents. From a
relativistic dynamic conception of criminality, however, criminality does neither
characterize the person in himself nor the current environment as such, but must be seen
as an effect of the interaction between the person and the current environment.
By means of a stochastic model operating with parameters for the individual person, and
parameters for the specific current environment, there is an account of how naval
criminality may be described from a model of interaction given below.
The investigation introducing individual-centered stochastic models of interaction in
criminology also illustrates the problems of comparison which criminology faces, together
with the conception of criminality. - jrc.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/9/1/31
Adolescent Sexual Activity and Mildly Deviant Behavior
Sibling and Friendship Effects
JOSEPH LEE RODGERS, University of Oklahoma
DAVID C. ROWE, University of Arizona
Journal of Family Issues, Vol. 11, No. 3, 274-293 (1990)
This article addresses the relationship between two related behavioral domains in
adolescents: sexual activity and mildly deviant behavior (defined as behaviors of which
parents would disapprove, but which are not illegal). Previous work has demonstrated
overlap between these behavioral domains. We use a unique data set - the data from the
Carolina Population Center's Adolescent Sexuality (ADSEX) Project which contain linkable
responses of siblings, best friends, and other friends - to quantify the degree of overlap
and separation between sexuality and mild deviance. We cast our work in a conceptual
context identifying the prominent members of a respondent's environment, including
siblings, same-sex friends (best friends and other friends) and opposite-sex friends (best
and other friends). Results support previous research showing overlap between sexuality
and mild deviance; however, the two domains are also distinguishable. Furthermore,
theoretical predictions generated by the conceptual framework - by considering the
relationship of adolescents to others in their environment - are supported by the data. -
jfi.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/11/3/274
Nonparametric Analysis of Adolescent Deviant Behavior
YUNLING DU, Columbia University, MICHAEL G. AKRITAS, STEVEN F. ARNOLD, D. WAYNE
OSGOOD, Pennsylvania State University
Sociological Methods & Research, Vol. 30, No. 3, 309-340 (2002)
The impact of certain personal characteristics on marijuana use while controlling for
routine activities in everyday life is analyzed. The assumptions underlying several
logistic regression models, as well as the parametric analysis of covariance (ANCOVA)
model, are violated in this example. More critical from the practical point of view is the
fact that the covariate is measured on an ordinal (noninterval) scale, implying that the
results from such analyses depend on the chosen scale. The analysis of main effects and
interactions while accounting for the presence of the covariate using this nonparametric
model is compared with similar analyses using the parametric ANCOVA and logistic
regression models. The formal analysis is supplemented by new exploratory data analysis
plots. Significance tests for certain ordered and other patterned alternatives are
proposed and evaluated via simulations. Results are compared with those using logistic
regression models treating the levels of the factors as ordinal.
smr.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/30/3/309
The Morality of Employee Theft: Teaching about Ethics and Deviant Behavior in the
Workplace
Roland E. Kidwell, Jr., Susan M. Kochanowski, Niagara University
Journal of Management Education, Vol. 29, No. 1, 135-152 (2005) DOI:
10.1177/1052562903261180 © 2005 The Organizational Behavior Teaching Society
Deviant behavior at work is an important topic for management education because of its
prevalence and cost to both organizations and people. This article demonstrates how the
ethical ramifications of workplace activities identified as deviant can be actively
discussed by students and by educators in the classroom by using an original case study.
The case study includes behaviors that appear to break company rules and norms. Workplace
deviance is discussed in the context of the following questions: What is deviant workplace
behavior? Is it always negative? How can it be influenced by organizational culture?
Possible connections between the way deviance is handled in the classroom and its
subsequent occurrences in the workplace are discussed. -
jme.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/29/1/135
The Influence of Adolescent Substance Use and Socialization on Deviant Behavior in Young
Adulthood - SYBILLE M. GUY, P. M. BENTLER, University of California, Los
Angeles
GENE M. SMITH, Harvard University School of Medicine and Massachusetts General
Hospital
Criminal Justice and Behavior, Vol. 21, No. 2, 236-255 (1994)
This study examined the impact of adolescent substance use on adult substance use and
criminal behavior. Longitudinal data from 657 participants were assessed over 12 years
(1969-1981). Latent variable models were used to determine what effect, if any, adolescent
drug use had on later deviance. In addition, constructs relevant to traditional theories
of social control, such as the extent of socialization and obedience to rules, were also
included as predictors. The results showed that a general drug use factor in adolescence
significantly predicted adult illicit substance use, theft, and interpersonal aggression.
Drug-related accidents (automobile and other) were also predicted from adolescent drug
use. These findings are consistent with several theories suggesting that different forms
of deviance may influence each other over time. -
cjb.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/21/2/236
Deviant Behavior and Victimization Among Homeless and Runaway Adolescents
LES B. WHITBECK, DAN R. HOYT, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
KEVIN A. YODER, Iowa State University
ANA MARI CAUCE, MATT PARADISE, University of Washington
Journal of Interpersonal Violence, Vol. 16, No. 11, 1175-1204 (2001)
This study used a high-risk population of runaway and homeless adolescents to investigate
the effects of a history of caretaker abuse and deviant subsistence strategies on
victimization among adolescents. Based on a multisite sample of 974 homeless and runaway
adolescents, logistic regression models were used first to examine factors predicting
involvement in sexual and nonsexual deviant subsistence strategies and then to investigate
the effects of deviant subsistence strategies on physical and sexual victimization when
adolescents were on the streets. Results indicated that when controlling for all other
factors, including histories of physical and sexual maltreatment in families of origin,
street behaviors, sexual orientation, and informal support systems, engaging in nonsexual
deviant subsistence strategies increased the likelihood of physical victimization more
than two times. Engaging in sexual deviant subsistence strategies increased the likelihood
of sexual victimization almost four times. The results are interpreted in terms of life
course developmental theory and lifestyle exposure theories. -
jiv.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/16/11/1175
Sex with informants as deviant behavior: an account and commentary - Goode E.
Source: Deviant Behavior, Volume 20, Number 4, 1 October 1999, pp. 301-324(24)
Abstract: Engaging in sex with informants in social research is regarded as deviant;
hence, it is rarely admitted in print. The author argues that such behavior is likely to
influence what the researcher sees, how conclusions are reached, and what is written
about. He summarizes what has been discussed on the issue of sexual self-disclosure and
indicates how his own intimate relations with informants on three projects may have shaped
his vision and conclusions. Sex with informants both provides benefits and poses risks;
some of them are discussed as well. In addition, ethical issues are raised and discussed.
Some possible reasons are advanced as to why reticence tends to be the rule in
ethnographic sexual experiences. - ingentaconnect.com
Geneticization of Deviant Behavior and Consequences for Stigma: The Case of Mental
Illness
Phelan, Jo C. - Journal of Health and Social Behavior, Volume 46, Number 4, December 2005.
Abstract: One likely consequence of the genetics revolution is an increased tendency to
understand human behavior in genetic terms. How might this "geneticization"
affect stigma? Attribution theory predicts a reduction in stigma via reduced blame, anger,
and punishment and increased sympathy and help. According to "genetic
essentialist" thinking, genes are the basis of human identity and strongly
deterministic of behavior. If such ideas are commonly accepted, geneticization should
exacerbate stigma by increasing perceptions of differentness, persistence, seriousness,
and transmissibility, which in turn should increase social distance and reproductive
restrictiveness. I test these predictions using the case of mental illness and a vignette
experiment embedded in a nationally representative survey. There was little support for
attribution theory predictions. Consistent with genetic essentialism, genetic attributions
increased the perceived seriousness and persistence of the mental illness and the belief
that siblings and children would develop the same problem. Genetic attribution did not
affect reproductive restrictiveness or social distance from the ill person but did
increase social distance from the person's sibling, particularly regarding intimate forms
of contact involving dating, marriage, and having children. - ingentaconnect.com
Medicalization in Nepal: A Study of the Influence of Westernization on Defining Deviant
and Illness Behavior in a Developing Country
L. Allen Furr, Department of Sociology, 125 Lutz Hall, University of Louisville
International Journal of Comparative Sociology, Vol. 45, No. 1-2, 131-142 (2004)
One point of debate in discussions of the modernization of developing societies concerns
the effects of Westernization on how people in these societies see the world and develop a
sense of meaning in light of rapid and often broad-sweeping social and cultural changes.
Where Western culture has little influence, traditional and religious based ideologies
that define "why people misbehave" dominate modes of thinking, and medicalized
definitions of deviant behavior are absent (Conrad 1992).This study of 276 Nepali teachers
investigates if definitions of deviant behavior may be influenced by encroaching
Westernization. Subjects were presented with a scenario of a 12-year-old girl engaging in
deviant behavior. Results indicate that those who were in agreement with certain Western
values and cultural tastes were more likely to label the girls behavior as a mental
illness and to refer her to a Western-style social agent for treatment rather than to a
traditional Nepali helper. These findings lend tentative support to the notion that
medicalization is a function of Western culture. -
cos.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/45/1-2/131
Synergies in Deviance: Revisiting the Positive Deviance Debate
Brad West, Flinders University, Australia, Electronic Journal of Sociology (2003) ISSN:
1198 3655
Abstract: This article revisits the debate surrounding the concept of positive deviance,
arguing that the term is strategic for understanding the mythological, narrative and
sacred dimensions of deviant social phenomena. Studies of deviance have generally only
thought of it in relation to negatively amplified reactions. This paper asserts that these
deviant forms exist in synergy with types containing positive characteristics.
Drawing on the work of the classical sociologists Emile Durkheim, Georg Simmel and Max
Weber, it is argued that positive deviance can be thought to emerge as a consequence of
the existence of enchantment, symbolic interaction and charisma in society. Under these
conditions the distinctions between the pure and impure can become elusive.
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